Sister Li’s face was flushed with excitement. "Even one award would be great."

"It’s not that I’m worshiping foreign things, but there’s this common perception that foreign stuff is better than domestic. But honestly, the award ceremonies here at home are getting more and more watered down every year."

"It seems like these awards all belong to the money men now. As long as you’re close to the investors, the awards are like fruit on a tree, ready for them to pick and hand out as they please."

Sister Li sighed, lamenting the chaos within the industry.

Tan You was unconcerned. "An individual’s power is minuscule. We can’t control the larger environment, so we can only focus on doing our best. It’s even better if you can have a group of like-minded people by your side while you’re doing it."

"And you think foreign investors are any easier to deal with? They’re all the same." Tan You narrowed her eyes. "They also try to manipulate the awards. Almost all the big stars have intricate ties to various investors; they’re just more secretive about it."

For Tan You to have maneuvered her way to this point amid such gamesmanship was already quite an achievement. Of course, there was no need for her to detail the hardships involved to others.

But Tan You was firm in one belief: she would never, ever be manipulated by others, nor did she want to one day find her fate out of her own hands. In the end, she had to become strong herself. Only then could she better protect herself and even shelter others.

Hearing from Sister Li that everything was going smoothly for Tan You abroad, the rest of the cast and crew felt relieved. On the day of the awards ceremony, the entire crew went to attend, full of high spirits.

Even if they came away empty-handed, everyone was still in an excellent mood. It was just as Tan You had said: since they couldn’t get a piece of the pie domestically, they wouldn’t worry about it. They would break out of this circle and strive for a bigger pie abroad.

When *Prison Tyrant* won nothing, those executives were inwardly quite pleased. ’No matter how brazen you are, without any awards to your name, you can’t elevate your status. Let’s see how you’ll survive in the industry from now on.’

But contrary to their expectations, the entire *Prison Tyrant* crew was in high spirits. They applauded when they were supposed to applaud and offered congratulations when they were supposed to, without a hint of feeling wronged, resentful, or treated unfairly.

When the news hit the internet, countless people started discussing it. The central theme was, so what if the box office was high? Without awards, it meant nothing.

In an instant, Tan You and any topic related to the film were thrust into the eye of the storm. Everyone was predicting the downfall of Tan You and her company, but unlike their usual swift refutations, Tan You and the entire crew seemed to have gone completely silent.

Countless entertainment reporters wanted to interview Tan You and the crew, only to find her company completely empty. A notice on the official social media account simply stated that all employees were on vacation.

No one knew that the entire company had packed their bags and flown abroad. Right now, they were all busy preparing for that award.

The moment she stepped out of the airport, Sister Li saw Tan You standing there. She gave Tan You a hug. "You’ve worked hard. You look like you’ve lost a lot of weight."

Tan You nodded slightly. "I’m not used to the food here. Let’s get in the car first. Has everyone’s mood been affected recently?"

Hu Yi linked her arm with Tan You’s. "Of course not. To be honest, I found it hilarious watching someone else walk away with the Best Actress trophy."

"Even if I don’t win this time, when I think about awards that are just manipulated by investors, I feel like winning one is meaningless anyway."

Tan You smiled. "As long as you’ve thought it through, that’s what matters. I’ve already booked the hotel, so let’s all go get some rest. The awards ceremony is the day after tomorrow. Rest well for the next two days, and make sure you’re in top form."

Hu Yi made a fist. "Don’t worry, Sister Wen! We’ve all been eating and sleeping well, so we’re looking great. We definitely won’t let you down."

Sister Li walked beside Tan You. "You’ve been here for so long. Any news?"

Tan You just smiled. She already knew the final results from the Beauty System, but she wouldn’t say that out loud. So, Tan You simply said, "I can only say our chances are very high."

Sister Li’s face lit up as if she’d already won the award. "Great! Hearing that puts my mind at ease."

"Speaking of which, this foreign film festival is quite interesting. They only announce the nominations two days before the ceremony. By my calculations, it should be time. Why haven’t they been announced yet?"

’The judges on the committee are at each other’s throats,’ Tan You thought. ’It’s only natural for the announcement to be delayed.’

No one thought much of it, and they were chatting and laughing as they prepared to get in the car, until Director Qi’s phone rang. Director Qi frowned slightly, but seeing it was a director he knew, he didn’t overthink it and answered the call.

His expression was dazed at first, then a smile spread wider and wider across his face. After he hung up, Director Qi unabashedly grabbed a nearby Wan Yi and spun him around in a circle.

Wan Yi yelped in alarm, "Director! Director! What’s wrong with you? Gently, I’m getting dizzy...!"

Seeing Director Qi’s reaction, everyone whipped out their phones in unison and started searching for news online. Sure enough, the headline was that *Prison Tyrant* had swept the international film festival nominations.

"Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Costume Design..." Hu Yi counted them off one by one. "We were actually nominated for thirteen major awards?"

"Sister Wen, you’re too amazing!" Hu Yi shrieked, turning to hug Tan You and shaking her back and forth. The shaking made Tan You a little dizzy. Looking around, she saw everyone else beaming with joy.

Even Wan Yi, who had been completely bewildered just moments ago, was now grabbing Wei Wei and gloating.

All things considered, she seemed to be the calmest one there. The corners of Tan You’s lips curved up slightly. "Alright, let’s get in the car first. We can talk more inside. People are starting to stare at us."

Hu Yi did let go of Tan You, but she still held onto her hand, refusing to release it. "Sister Wen, I honestly never expected this. I’ve never even been in a movie before, and now my very first one gets me a nomination for an international Best Actress award! I... I’m just so excited..."

Wei Wei and Wan Yi were also thrilled. "Isn’t that the truth! Sister Wen is the amazing one!"

Tan You was amused. "This is everyone’s achievement. I won’t even mention the script; you all delivered excellent performances, and it’s the result of Director Qi pouring his heart and soul into it. Winning awards is only to be expected."

Hu Yi said, "But without Sister Wen’s script, none of us would be here today."

Tan You shook her head, not bothering to argue with the deliriously happy group. ’They’ll probably calm down once we get to the hotel,’ she thought.

Sister Li was happy too, but since she wasn’t an artist, she wasn’t as fanatical about awards. She calmed down quickly. "By the way, those people back home must be fuming, right? We’re only nominated for now. If we actually win, every trophy we take home will be another slap in their faces."